1. Field of the Invention
Disclosed is a method of producing microwave components, and more specifically, a method of producing a thin walled, aluminum microwave waveguide.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of microwave systems, certain components, such as antennae, transmitters, etc. are sometimes required which incorporate complex shaped waveguides to direct the microwaves along a certain path. For obvious reasons, it is generally advantageous to have a microwave waveguide which is very lightweight, inexpensive to produce, adequately durable, highly conductive, and corrosion resistant. In addition, the metal which forms the waveguide must be capable of being readily formed into a complex shape.
The most relevant prior art of producing waveguides involves electro-forming or electroplating a surface coating of a highly conductive platable metal such as copper, nickel or silver on an appropriate substrate in an aqueous solution. A mandril shaped in a desired form from the appropriate substrate material, such as a suitable metal or graphite, is submerged in the aqueous solution and a waveguide metal is deposited by electroplating on a surface of the mandril by well known means. Electroplatable metals which have desirable corrosion resistant properties are generally expensive, i.e., noble metals, or are low cost metals, such as copper or nickel, which must be plated with the noble metals, which again are expensive and are very difficult to be plated on complex internal cavities. This process then necessarily entails a complex and expensive method to attain desirable waveguides of complex shapes.
What is needed then is a process of producing complex waveguide or microwave components which are lightweight and inexpensive to form, and provide the necessary characteristics of an effective waveguide or conductor for microwave frequencies. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide such a process.